Buncrana to remember Omagh Bomb victims

A short commemoration will be held in Buncrana tomorrow (Wednesday, August 15) in memory of those killed in the Omagh Bombing.

The service will take place at Knockalla Drive where two of the child victims of the bombing- Sean McLaughlin, who was aged 12, and eight-year-old Oran Doherty - lived.

The ceremony, which is being held on the 20th anniversary of the bombing, will get under way at 9pm.

A third boy who lived in Buncrana James Barker (aged 12), and who was originally from Surrey in England, was also among the 29 people who were killed in the atrocity, along with Spanish exchange student Fernando Blasco Baselga (12) and Rocio Abad Ramous (23), both from Madrid and who had been staying in the Inishowen town during the summer of 1998.

The local victims had been on a day trip to Omagh when a Real IRA car bomb detonated in the centre of the Co Tyrone town.

The ceremony in Buncrana comes after relatives of the victims gathered at the inter-denominational service at the Memorial Garden in Omagh on Sunday.

Relatives and friends of the deceased laid flowers and wreaths during the poignant ceremony, while calls were made for politicians to work together to reach agreement.

Michael Gallagher, who lost his son Aiden in the explosion, told those who had gathered in Omagh: “Working alone we can achieve very little, but in collaborative adventures we can achieve a great deal.

“We as a community have paid the highest price, let us not forget we need to make this work, showing strength, courage and leadership.”

The “courage” of the families and friends was also praised during the ceremony.

The Memorial Service was entitled Out of Darkness and included clergy from different denominations.

The Omagh Community Youth Choir performed at the event, while prayers were said in Irish and Spanish and one minute’s silence also observed.